Section 24 Introduction

(Last Modified on December 28, 2016)

Student fees are the primary funding source for student activities, student technology, athletic programs, student centers, parking/transportation, health services, and other non-academic, student-focused facilities. Additionally, the special institutional fee is used on an institution-wide basis to supplement institutional needs and elective fees are assessed selectively to students to support a specific purpose or activity. As the demand to improve and expand student services has increased, student fees have become a major funding source in support of our mission of providing a first-rate undergraduate and graduate education and experience to our students. As such, student fees now also make up a significant portion of the total cost of attendance, requiring serious consideration be given to the purpose, necessity, and amount of fees assessed.

Student fee revenues are generated from the following sources:

Mandatory Student Fees – As defined in Section 7.3.2.1 of the Board of Regents (BOR) Policy Manual, these fees are assessed upon enrollment to all students, all undergraduate students, or all full-time undergraduate students on one or more campuses of an institution, unless exemption or waiver provisions apply. Should the fee be assessed to one of the aforementioned groups, but exclude distance learning students or residential students, the definition of mandatory student fee still applies. The definition also applies should the fee be assessed to one of those groups with the stipulation that the fee may be refunded later in the semester or that the student receives a cash equivalent (such as a dining cash card) in the amount of the fee.

Elective Fees and Special Charges- As defined in Section 7.3.2.2 of the BOR Policy Manual, these fees are generally authorized and approved by institution presidents, with some exceptions to this authority noted in the Policy Manual and discussed in more detail in section 24.3.2 of the Business Procedure Manual (BPM).

The purpose of this section is to establish guidelines to ensure the effective and appropriate use of student fee revenues. These guidelines are not intended to be all inclusive, but to provide a general framework on how student fees should be used to support operations, services, programs and activities of each institution.